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I am SO very glad that you posted that raw cheese recipe, Nickole! My darling milk lady gave me (FREE!) 2 extra gallons today because they are getting too much (!!) milk now that the cow is in grass pasture! Glory!! She asked me if I would take any extra they have from time to time. I guess I'll have to. hee hee

I have used the vinegar queso blanco recipe for many years, and have found that I get a harder cheese and better yeild per gallon of milk by heating the milk past 180* and putting in proportionately less vinegar. For instance, at 190*, you can put in around 50% less vinegar and still have nice cheese and a little more of it.

But, I would much prefer a raw cheese. I'm going to go to Aldi for lemons now. Sounds like just the right way to use a gallon of this good stuff! And then I'm going to make my darlings some flan custard for dessert this weekend. Happy day! I think I might try adding the lemon whey to the smoothies and see what that tastes like, too.

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Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13

So, HIO and Nickole,Those recipes said for goat milk... would that work with raw cow's milk? And we're talking real cheese here right? Like, not cottage cheese? Oh baby, I can't wait to try it out *grin*

Making cheese is an art. I hope to simplify what I have learned so far. Start easy with your cultures first. The cultures exist in the raw milk. Thermophyllic ( heat loving) - i.e. yougurt , and mesophyllic ( cool loving) i.e. buttermilk. I have successfully made buttermilk by simply allowing the unpasterurized (raw) milk to sour on the room temp. counter in a large mason jar. It will curd and begin to seperate in 24-48 hrs. Refrigerate and use part for whatever, and use part for a starter for the next batch. It will store in the fridge for several weeks to a month. I make yougurt by placing the same unpasteurized milk in the same type mason jar down in very hot water in a larger plastic container set inside a covered ice chest. This keeps an even warm temp. I check it after several hours for warmth - pouring off the water and adding more hot water. Within 24-48 hrs. I will have yougurt. If you simply want to cheat the process, just add 1/4 cup of plain storebought yougurt or buttermilk to your large mason jar of unpasturized milk. Next time I'll talk about Ricotta. - txseawater

Does anyone know of a recipe for mozzarella cheese that doesn't require putting it in the microwave? The recipe looks so simple, but I don't have (and really don't want to use) a microware. Does anyone have a SIMPLE recipe for cheddar cheese. I am one of thosehave to see it kind of people. I have such a hard time reading it in a book and doing it, so I need something really simple.Thanks!

Allow for TIME - let the cheese remain in the whey longer for the mozz. Don't be rough with the curds!! Gentle, gentle...place them in a baking dish and pour your hot water over them to work them. Notice Fankhauser says he allows the curds to remain in the whey another day.

Does anyone know of a recipe for mozzarella cheese that doesn't require putting it in the microwave? The recipe looks so simple, but I don't have (and really don't want to use) a microware.

I am guessing you are talking about the 30 minute mozzarella that uses citric acid. Here is a quote from Home Cheesemaking by Ricki Carroll." No microwave?.....heat reserved whey to 175* Add 1/4 cup cheese salt to the whey...shape curd into one or two balls....put ball in a strainer and dip in the hot whey for several seconds. Knead the curd, dip and repeat until curd is smooth and pliable." I really like www.cheesemaking.com because some of the recipes come w/ pictures and extra tips. Check it out!

i dont get the thing about the cheese recipe...is the 175* supposed to be in a pot on the stove?...or the oven...?...please explain a little better!

If you mean the 175* for the citric acid mozrella recipe..... I was only briefly stating alternate heating methods to the microwave. If you look up an original recipe on cheesemaking.com it should make more sense...You heat the whey (after the curd is formed and removed)in a pot, double boiler, or in a very hot water in the sink, however works best for you. I would say not the oven because you are needing to work in the whey off and on while maintaining 175* temp. A stovetop or sink- bowl water bath would be a simpler choice.

I don't have a microwave either to make my mozzarella. You can use the basic recipe, but instead of putting it into the microwave, you dip it into the reheated whey. Reheat the whey to about 190* then form your mozzarella into several small balls, dip the cheese into the whey with a slotted spoon for about 30 seconds, take out, knead and stretch, and repeat two or three times until the cheese is nice and stretchy. I wear a pair of kitchen gloves since the cheese can get quite hot. This works very nicely! Good luck!

so, I want to get a book about cheese making. Is ricki carrol "the" book the get. Those of you that have cheese books and use them often, which do you really like and recommend? I want to make sure I get a good one!I was going to get the cheese making starter kit from lehmans.com, anyone ever bought that?

so, I want to get a book about cheese making. Is ricki carrol "the" book the get. Those of you that have cheese books and use them often, which do you really like and recommend? I want to make sure I get a good one!I was going to get the cheese making starter kit from lehmans.com, anyone ever bought that?

so, I want to get a book about cheese making. Is ricki carrol "the" book the get. Those of you that have cheese books and use them often, which do you really like and recommend? I want to make sure I get a good one!I was going to get the cheese making starter kit from lehmans.com, anyone ever bought that?

I have borrowed several cheese books and hope to add some to my collection, but I only own Ricki's books and always recommend them to start out with. I would recommend going with some of cheesemaking.com (Ricki's site) kits and starters/cultures while you start out. I know that her stuff is a little bit more expensive than some, but I have always had it turn out when I followed the directions explicitly.

I have another cheesemaking book that has not been mentioned. I love everything I've tried so far. It is called "Goats Produce Too! The Udder Real Thing" Volume 2. It is by Mary Jane Toth. It is recipes for use with goat milk and meat, ice cream, custards, soap, paint, etc. Pretty much anything you could do with goat milk or meat. She has a recipe for orange sherbet that is dead on the same as the grocery store sherbet...not the most healthy as it uses kool-aid and jello for flavoring, however. Also, keep in mind that when making goat and cow milk into cheese that the goat milk curds are more fragile. If using a cow milk recipe, just reduce the heat about 4-5 degrees and everything should work out fine. With mozarella, I have to let the curd sit for an hour and rest...a step that isn't necessary with cow milk...so basically play around a bit and you'll have every bit as good of cheese with goat milk as with cow milk.

We (DH) and I made some cheese yesterday - heated milk, wht vinegar, then salt, garlic, & oregano. Yummy on homemade bread! Here are a couple pics. Thats my man, 'man handling' the cheese to squeeze out the whey. Today I made potatoe soup with the leftover whey.

(Oh yeah, about the clothspin on his ear...he has a cut on his ear and it wouldn't stop bleeding. )

Sounds so yummy, Licia! I am currently without a milk supplier - again - so there hasn't been any good cheese here for awhile. I like your idea of using the whey for potato soup, have to remember that.

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Here is the recipe I use for cottage cheese. It is super easy and always comes out yummy! -Warm one gallon of skimmed raw milk to room temperature (About 72 degrees)-Stir in four ounces of mesophilic culture*-Let sit until curdles (it looks like one solid curd)**-Cut the curd into small pieces and let rest for 15 mins. I take a long knife and cut the curd into 1 inch blocks. I then stir the curds to break them up before we like smaller curd cheese. -Put on stove and slowly raise the temperature to 120 degrees-Hold at 120 degrees for 45 mins. Stir frequently. -Drain the cruds using a colander lined with cheesecloth-To remove the sour taste rinse the curds and cloth with cold water***-Hang cheese to let drain until no longer dripping, this take about an hour.-After dry, put in bowl and add 1 tsp. of salt for every gallon of milk used.-Pour a generous amount of cream over curds and mix and refrigerate*I'm don't know of the source to get this culture but it is easy to find and once you buy it you can make your own. I got my culture from my Aunt.**This takes anywhere from 12-24 hours depending on the room temperature. I place my pan of milk on the over so it is warmer.***You want to rinse A LOT if you don't enjoy a sour cottage cheese.

I have never liked cottage cheese but LOVE this. I've been making about 3 gallons of milk worth for a month now. Each batch is gone by the end of the week. I keep the whey for beet kvass, cabbage juice and soaking of grains and beans. I have had to throw so much away since making cheese but it's good for the pipes. If you have any questions on making your own culture after purchasing let me know. Jess